Celebrate the Small Victories!

The Second thing my mentor taught me is:

2. Celebrate the small victories!

How often have we been guilty of looking past today to see tomorrow, to find that when we arrive in tomorrow we are ready for the next thing? It happens, we are constantly striving for more, for something better, for something new, and in the process we find ourselves guilty of missing out on the small victories. If you are as driven as I am, nothing ever seems to meet the standard that we have set for ourself. There was always something else that could have been done. The problem with this understanding, and let me assure you that there is nothing wrong with being a determined person, however, determined people who fail to see and celebrate victories will become frustrate people. Without celebrating the small victories, we can never really appreciate the big victories! Not always, but many times, the big victories are the product of many small wins along the way. So the next time you see that small victory come, stop and celebrate it, even if it is for just a moment. It will be in that moment that you can realize the significance of the journey and put into perspective all that you have been working for! The big victories will come, but the small victories will set the stage for you to appreciate the monumental moments.

5 Things I Learned From Being Mentored!

I know many people who are spending time mentoring and disciplining some one they believe have potential or even some one that may be facing some pretty difficult times. I have had the privilege to mentor and disciple and have had the great benefit of being mentored. Often times, you wonder, what am I suppose to teach this person? I am barely making it myself, so what do I share with this young man or young woman? I want to share with you some things that i have found to be beneficial to me in the mentoring process. What I am going to share with you are 5 things my mentor has taught me that I try to share with those who I am disciplining and mentoring. I will post 1 – 5 through out the next few days.

1. You are more than just a title or job description.

How easy is it to begin to believe that you are what your title says you are? I’m a boss, a preacher, a salesman, banker, Pharmacist, whatever the title may be, often times, it becomes the very thing that shapes us and makes us who we are. Now I know we do these things, we are salesmen, bosses, bankers, but that is only part of what we do, we are not those things, and when we believe that the title is what gives us significance then we are walking a very dangerous path. The reason this is so important and such a dangerous understanding, is that titles are temporary. Titles change. Titles are lost. If we are what our title says we are, then our title becomes our substance, when the title changes, for whatever reason, then our substance is gone! I’ve personally seen men and women lose their way in life after losing their title. They couldn’t see who they really were, they were a person long before they were a title. They were a creation long before they were an employee. They were created purposefully by God Himself, long before they became a person identified by their name tag. When you realize that our title is something that we do and not necessarily who we are, then we are free to live within the understanding of that title and not bound by the identification of that title. When your title is something you do and not who you are, then your title can be taken away or lost or left or change and the person within the title is still living and flourishing as a creation of the one and only living God. It can be very painful when our title changes, but it doesn’t have to destroy us, we must remember after all the titles, we are still a “Workmanship” of Jesus Christ. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus For good work, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

An invitation for the Journey!

 

Try living a life responsible for these men!

My name is J. Phillip Martin. Among many other things, I am a pastor, husband, and the father of triplet boys and one amazing daughter. 

I am beginning this blog because somewhere in the deepest part of me, I believe I can’t be the only one who struggles with Life. This is my attempt to capture my thoughts, provoke yours, and see if we can encourage and support one another along this thing we call life. I must admit, most of my thoughts aren’t that interesting, but it is possible that you and I have more in common then we may even know. I want to invite you to join me as we journey together. What you will read are just my thoughts, some will be dumb, some pretty interesting, many from my convictions, and a few off the cuff, never the less, what you are about to join me on is just my thoughts concerning this journey! Thank you for joining me and I look forward to engaging this world and this life with you!

Phillip